Schizo pharmacology Flashcards
(49 cards)
Positive symptoms
- hallucinations
- delusions (persecutory, grandiose)
- bizarre behavior (social, sexual, aggression)
negative symptoms
- affective flattening or blunting
- alogia (lack of speech)
- avolition (lack of motivation)
- anhedonia (lack of pleasure)
- poor grooming
- social withdrawal
cognitive symptoms
- poor information processing
- attention deficits
- working memory deficits
- thought disorders (derailment, tangentiality)
catatonia
- rare in developed world
- patients seem lifeless, muteness
- associated with social withdrawal
- muscle rigidity in weird positions
diagnosis of schizophrenia
at least two of the following for >6 months:
- delusions
- hallucinations
- disorganized speech/thoughts
- disorganized or catatonic behavior
- negative symptoms
if schizophrenia symptoms last for < 1 month its called
brief psychotic episode
if schizophrenia symptoms last for >1 month but less than <6 monthss
schizophreniform disorder
typical spectrum premorbid signs and symptoms
(0-10 yo)
- quiet, passive, introverted personality
- avoidance of social activities
- in some cases, spells of OCD
prodromal signs and symptoms
(10-20 yo)
- decline in occupational and interpersonal functioning
- sudden development of interest in abstract ideas
- bizarre behavior and unusual speech
- poor grooming, depression
good prognosis for schizophrenia
- late onset
- obvious precipitating factors
- acute onset
- good premorbid history
- married
- family history of mood disorders
- positive symptoms
poor prognosis for schizophrenia
- early onset
- no precipitating factors
- insidious onset
- poor premorbid history
- single, divorced or widowed
- Fx of schiozphrenia
- negative symptoms
physical changes in the brain in schizophrenia
thinning of the prefrontal cortex and enlargement of lateral ventricles
neurochemical deficits in schizophrenia
- low function of NMDA receptors
- overactivation of D2 in nucleus accumbens
- low activation of dopamine in prefrontal cortex
- overactivation of 5-HT2A receptors
NMDA antagonists cause what schizophrenia like symptoms
- positive
- negative
- cognitive
role of NMDA receptors in the brain
filter information via pyramidal neurons and interneurons
dysfunction of NMDA receptors leads to
- loss of sensory coherence in perceptions
- positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms
- HALLUCINATIONS*
auditory hallucinations and cognitive deficits originate from
hyperactivity of the temporal cortex
dysfunctions of the prefrontal cortex lead to
- improper interpretation of environmental stimuli
- decision making
- recognition of social cues and facial expressions
- attention and working memory
which schizophrenic symptoms are associated with the prefrontal cortex
negative symptoms due to NMDA receptor dysfunction
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex role
processing of abstract rules and logical interpretation
cognitive deficits due to
dysfunction of NMDA receptors and activatino of 5-HT2a receptors in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
salience
dopamine driven motivational function that is directed towards things relevant to you, to which you have an emotional charge.
role of dopamine in positive symptoms
hyperactivation of mesolimbic system leads to high dopamine in nucleus accumbens which causes the symptoms
main target of antipsychotic drugs
D2 antagonism in nucleus accumbens – positive symptoms
